Our tour ends here with a bit of information about those who live on the island now - about 15-30 people in the summer and only one custodian in the winter. We head to the museum which houses the fragile objects removed from the homes:
- Everyday domestic things - a hot tray, fish hooks, decorated tables
- Large mosaics
- The remaining lion’s of Apollo - eroded but still intimidating.
- Sculptures in marble: Beautiful sexy Rubenesque woman; realistic heads with oriental and African features; folded material togas which are subtle and beautiful.
We wander the museum and the tourists with us rush off to take the boat. We stay and drink coffee and dessert at the rough third world cafe (grim toilets and someone braaing food among the flies in the back).
Then we walk alone through the ruined city - quiet and timeless. Just 45 minutes of quiet time by the sacred lake and through the city stolen before we the next boat back to Mykonos.
We swim, drink cocktails and change before heading to the new port to catch a ferry to Ikaria where people don’t wear watches and the Greeks go to relax.
On the late night ferry the sea is rough and we sit on a back deck with too many diesel fumes - after an hour we’re both feeling pretty ill and head inside. At Ikaria at 11pm we get off and drag our heavy stuff to the Atheras Hotel - a simple place that is nice enough - we collapse exhausted, but feeling hardcore.